The present invention relates to a modular support structure and to a module thereof for container handling machines such as rinsers, filling and capping/seaming machines.
The invention is particularly referred to bottling plants wherein star wheel conveyors and rotating platforms or carousels have to be supported and linked in a structure.
In a first prior art the star wheels are supported on a pre-drilled solid/massive table in such a way that the positions of the star wheels and of the rotating platforms are fixed and predetermined.
EP-A-1645537 discloses a worktable for container handling machines comprising connecting elements which make up at least the receptacles for the container transport elements and/or connect two or more container handling machines to each other, preferably in the form of a triangle. The connecting elements, preferably constituted by rod-shaped elements may be arranged on different levels and are connected to each other by means of vertical braces. This document replaces the solid/massive table with a tubular structure supporting and connecting the star wheel casings, although this tubular structure is not modular being rigidly predetermined. WO 2006/087088 also discloses a tubular structure: in this case, the star wheel configurations can be selectively varied by means of lateral connecting bars on the star wheel casings which consent removable connections between the star wheel casings and the machine or other star wheel casings.
This document shows in-feed and out-feed star wheels arranged to be driven on column-shaped support housings. Each support housing comprises lateral connection interfaces to which a joint end of a connecting bar is detachably attached, the other joint end being detachably connected to a connection interface of a further support housing or to a machine chassis, such that the star wheel configuration, defining the container transport paths, may be modularly varied.
WO 20061087109 discloses a pre-table system for container handling machines wherein the support housing is fixed to a floor-standing support structure having a tube and/or profile section frame of sections directly or indirectly detachably connected to each other at jointing points by means of the support housing and floor support feet, within which the support housings are arranged in a freestanding manner such that free areas are formed around the support housings and some sections may be combined amongst one another and with support housings such that the star wheel configurations may be varied.
EP-A-1714939 discloses another solution wherein the carousel and the star wheels are rigidly interconnected by means of a plurality of tubes and there is an enclosing structure with panels.
Document DE-10214344 discloses a packaging machine comprising a machine frame having parallel longitudinal elements arranged a distance apart and transverse elements (3) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the frame and connected to the longitudinal elements in a form- and/or force-locking manner.
Document WO-021051706 shows a modular system made of steel structural work for a packaging line, said system comprising a casing structure defining a parallelepiped space.
The documents of the prior art do not consent a real effective and easy modularity and it is still difficult to have a plurality of possible layouts able to cover all the needs of the users.